Kyara Simoes found only eleven of 86 national sport bodies mention climate change

Kyara Simoes, a recent graduate of Waterloo’s Master of Environmental Studies program, assessed how ready national-level Canadian sport organizations are for climate change. She had watched warm winters end skiing and smoky air stop her runs, and she chose Waterloo to work with climate researchers Michelle Rutty and Daniel Scott.

She reviewed 86 organizations, among them baseball, karate and triathlon bodies, using their public strategic plans, annual reports and sustainability reports. Only eleven mention climate change or environmental sustainability, and only five maintain a webpage on the subject.

Simoes argues that Sport Canada is well placed to help the whole sector by building climate considerations into future funding frameworks and by centralizing practical guidance, such as what a community coach should do on a smoky day or in a heat wave. For context, about 300 sports organizations have committed to halving emissions by 2030 under a United Nations framework launched in 2018.